Quality analysis of

NSF data management plans

written by WSU faculty

Research Data Services

WSU Library System

National Science Foundation

requirement for

data management plans (DMPs)

Beginning January 18, 2011, all proposals submitted to NSF

must include a supplementary document of no more than

two pages describing how the proposal will conform to NSF

policy on the dissemination and sharing of research results.

Usually reviewed as part of the intellectual merit or broader

impacts of the proposal.

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Other federal funding agencies

will require DMPs in near future

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Veterans Administration (VA)

Department of Education (ED)

Department of Energy (DOE)

Department of Defense (DoD)

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

US Geological Survey (USGS)

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

Food and Drug Association (FDA)

National Institute of Justice (NIJ)

Department of Agriculture (USDA) 3

What is meant by “research data”?

Federal government definition: “ . . . the recorded factual

material commonly accepted in the scientific community as

necessary to validate research findings.”

Includes: spreadsheets, images, audio or video files,

transcripts, protein or gene sequences, spectra, models,

computer code, software, etc.

Excludes: physical objects (e.g., tissue samples, model

organisms), trade secrets, commercial information, protected

medical information

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DMP content guidelines*

1. Types of data and other materials to be produced in the

course of the project

2. Standards to be used for data and metadata format and

content

3. Policies for access and sharing, including provisions for

appropriate protection of privacy, confidentiality, security,

intellectual property, or other rights or requirements

4. Policies and provisions for re-use, re-distribution, and the

production of derivatives

5. Plans for archiving data and other research products and

for preservation of access to them

*per NSF Grant Proposal Guide (GPG) Chapter II.C.2.j

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Quality review of DMPs

● 140 DMPs were obtained from SPA

● DMPs were from NSF grants (half funded and half

unfunded) submitted between 2012-2014

● Removed from analysis: 21 “no-data” DMPs (includes

conference, travel, and a few research proposals)

● Final sample size: 119 DMPs

● Each DMP was evaluated by two reviewers, who

reached consensus on disagreements

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Final sample

College/School # of DMPs

College of Education 2

College of Engineering 61

College of Liberal Arts & Sciences 50

Law School 1

School of Medicine 5

Total 119

7

Yes

(49%)

No/unclear

(51%)

Are the individual(s) responsible for data

management specifically named?

8

How are the data characterized?

Yes

49%

No

51%

Generally

(i.e., content)

(32%)

Specifically

(i.e., container)

(7%)

Both generally

and specifically

(42%)

Not characterized/

unclear

(19%)

9

Yes

49%

No

51%

Is the expected total amount or rate of

data generation specified?

Yes (8%)

No/unclear (92%)

10

Will specific metadata standards and/or

other data descriptive methods be used?

Yes (38%)

No/unclear (62%)

11

Is a method of data backup specified?

Yes

(60%)

No/unclear

(40%)

12

Will any data be shared after the study?

Yes (92%)

No/unclear (8%)

13

How will data be shared after the study?

Best

practice

Invalid

response

14

Are policies for data reuse or

redistribution specified?

Yes (19%)

No/unclear (81%)

15

Do policies for data sharing specify

protections against disclosure of

sensitive information?

No/unclear (80%)

Yes (20%)

16

Do policies for data sharing specify

protections for safeguarding intellectual

property rights?

No/unclear (58%)

Yes (42%)

17

Is the duration of data preservation

specified?

No/unclear (57%)

Yes (43%)

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Conclusions

DMPs written by WSU faculty vary widely in addressing NSF

guidelines; some are of good quality, but there is substantial

room for improvement.

Increased quality of DMPs could lead to increased funding

for WSU.

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We can help!

We can consult with individual PIs or grant administrators to

create or refine DMPs. This could be facilitated by:

● Linking to RDS website or materials from SPA website

● Presenting information about DMPs and RDS to PIs during the pre-

award workflow

● Sending email to PIs offering DMP consultation/feedback during pre-

award workflow

rds.wayne.edu

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We can help!

We can provide DMP training/guidance for groups of faculty

or grant administrators. This would include:

● Raising awareness of funding agency requirements

● Providing a “checklist” of DMP components

● Providing examples of well-written DMPs

rds.wayne.edu

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